


Singing Him to Sleep

by rickssugarplum



Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: Angst, Existential Crisis, F/M, Fluff, Music, References to Depression, Songfic, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:48:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21785467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rickssugarplum/pseuds/rickssugarplum
Summary: You are singing alone. Rick comes by and overhears you.
Relationships: Rick Sanchez/Original Female Character(s), Rick Sanchez/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 42





	Singing Him to Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> Alright! Let’s try a kinda angsty yet still super fluffy songfic! The song in the fic is Pale September by Fiona Apple.

_Pale September.._.

_I wore the time like a dress that year…_

In a pitch-black evening, your home was filled with your voice as you were harmonizing with the keys of the piano you were currently tapping on your fingertips. 

_The autumn days swung soft around me like cotton on my skin…_

You loved to sing. It was a passion of yours for as long as you can remember. Music was your first love. As a young child, you would hear songs you loved and would memorize all the words within mere hours. You felt a sense of freedom and purpose when you sang out loud, never caring who would hear. Those that did, often praised the sound you would make with your vocals. It made you feel good that you were at least decent at something that you loved to do. Singing your heart out gave you a sense of euphoria. There was nothing else you had really needed.

_But as the embers of the summer lost their breath and disappeared…_

_My heart went cold and only hollow rhythms resounded from within…_

As years went by, you started to grow wiser and no longer oblivious to the hardships of life around you. You no longer saw your family as the security you sought as a child, and people you knew suddenly went away. You had mainly kept to yourself as you started to grow, not talking to anyone, with really no desire to. At school, you had become the outcast, making you feel hurt and lonely. Certain challenges were harder to face, usually ending up as you being the receiving end of anger, leaving you with a broken heart. Time went by with experiencing many losses, from loved ones, the sense of wonder you used to have, to even your own self-worth. You were aware of the truth. The world wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It was filled with suffering and undeserved pain, not just for you of course, but also for people you would never even meet and know you couldn’t help. You felt useless, with no real purpose to exist.

So, you stopped singing. While it made you happy, your mind told you that you didn’t deserve happiness, no matter how small. You didn’t earn it. Why would you feel you have to right to be happy when you made so many people angry with your mere presence? When you finally became an adult, while you still had your insecurities, you had started to make decisions that you knew were important for you to function if you were going to continue on…with what, you weren’t sure. But, there was always one thing that always kept you focused and in the moment, that you had for awhile abandoned. One day, you decided to return to that place, where you were once that happy child, whose innocence still brightened the outlook on life around you. Little by little, whenever you felt you had needed to let yourself go, you would just sing. Every aspect of your life was in your mind as you vocalized the notes.

_But then he rose, brilliant as the moon in full…_

_And sank in the burrows of my keep…_

You thought of him; of Rick. Many people would insist that you’re crazy. And maybe you were, but you were certainly not naive. You knew he wasn’t the kindest man in the universe, but he was certainly experienced enough to not sugarcoat much, if anything at all. He was bold, upfront, infectious, brutal, and above all else; _passionate_. When a certain situation called for it, he could be anything he wanted. The thought of how he had brought you so much more out of life you hadn’t known, made your heart speed up with exhilaration. 

You were so enwrapped in your own world in that moment, you didn’t hear the typical rippling of a swirling, green portal warping from another room. Nor did you hear Rick call out your name as the piano’s sound had drowned everything else out. You just kept singing, unaware that the scientist had started to make his way through your home to find the source of the music. When he found it was you he was…surprised. You had never sang for him, thinking he had no interest in your little hobby. There was no real reason to tell him. “Why would he care?”, you’d scoff to yourself. Little did you know, he was now lingering outside your doorway, just listening.

_And all my armor falling down…_

_In a pile at my feet…_

_And my winter giving way to warm…_

_As I’m singing him to sleep…_

You stopped, satisfied that you got a little steam out of your system. It was late, and time for you to call it a day.Turning around to leave, you froze when you saw Rick standing there looking at you, stunned. 

“Oh! Uhhh…Hi Rick.” you spit out nervously. Now, you were used to him stopping by unannounced, but this is the first time he had been present as you were singing and you had no idea how much he heard.

“Wow.” he said, surprised, with a pretty rare smile on his face. “I didn’t know that you could sing.” he exclaimed enthusiastically.

You shrugged.“I don’t do it as much as I used to. Actually just getting back into it,” you confessed to him.

“You have a pretty voice.” he told you sincerely.

You felt your cheeks warm up. Hearing him say that, gave you butterflies.

“Thanks.” you finally responded, shyly.

“Y’know uhh, I dabble in music too.” he admitted. You were kinda shocked at that. You couldn’t see this man of science as a musician.

“Really?” you asked, intrigued. You moved on the piano bench to make room. Rick sat down beside you as he elaborated.

“Oh yeahh, W-w-we had a band, me, Birdperson and Squanchy. I-I was the guitarist. Don’t remember most of it though cause I was p-p-pretty fucked up on K-Lax.” he laughed, reminiscing about the old days. “I actually s-still strum up some shit from time to time. ‘Fact, me and Morty had saved the planet thanks to our hot beats.” He admitted proudly. You weren’t surprised at that honestly. With all the crazy adventures he and his grandson had endured, they _would_ be able to have the fate of the world in the hands of their ability to compose anything.

What did surprise you however, was that a man who was aware about the cold, heartless universe, was still able to get a thrill in making music, one way or another. When that was the reason you had stopped for such a long time. It made you wonder about Rick a little more, if music made him, dare you say it; happy.

“It used to bring me such joy, gave me purpose y’know? Like I could help people even in the smallest way. But, I don’t know..” You wallowed, struggling to find the words to tell him how you had really felt. “I felt like, I didn’t deserve to do what I loved cause, I didn’t deserve any happiness.” you finally admitted.

“Hmm..” he responded, seeming to understand where you were coming from. He was no stranger to mental battles within himself. With his gift of brilliance, he had also had his share of anguish and self-hatred, more so than he would like to admit, but he knew it was there, _**you**_ knew it was there. That was when you would try to support him as much as you could.

“Well, the universe is hard and unforgiving, any idiot can see that. The ones that h-have their head so far up their asses pretend that everything is all hunky-dory. Everyone has a problem with themselves, not matter how unimportant it really is. There’s plenty of misery to go around.” He said as he twisted the cap off his flask to take a swig out of it. You just watched him sip, waiting for him to continue.

“Sometimes, you have to just not give a shit…because the more you care, the more chances life has to take you down. Fact is, w-we’re all gonna die and we’ll end up leaving no real impact in the end.” he stated boldly.

You knew he was right. If anyone knew the reality of the universe, it was Rick. He had seen so many different planets and dimensions where the impossible became possible. Therefore, you couldn’t really argue with his point. However, he had another point to add that gave you a bit of an uplift.

“So, why not do whatever the fuck we want in the meantime?” he simply asked, so matter of fact.

A very slight curl to your mouth appeared as you look deep into his sunken eyes, placing your hand on his wrinkled skin. He simply closed his eyes, letting you caress his cheek. Your other hand explored his icy blue hair, always surprising you with how soft to the touch it was. Taking a closer look, you noticed another look he displayed. In his features and his body language, you noticed he looked…tired.

“And hey,” He opened his eyes half-lidded, to look into yours. “May-maybe I can bring my guitar over, and we can make music together sometime…share our misery.” he suggested with a smirk.

With a titter, you leaned in to press your lips softly to his, keeping the kiss gentle and light. You felt his thin lips returning your sentiment, not going any rougher than he usually would. His usual kisses were lustful and filled with need. This one felt, almost vulnerable… You both stopped to breathe, eyes locked, He leaned his forehead against yours. You were the first to speak up.

“I never asked you what you were doing here tonight.” You muttered.

“I had a looong adventure today and couldn’t sleep with Beth and her idiot fighting.” he explained, annoyed. Laughing, you understood. He was always welcome into your place whenever he just needed a break.

“Well, I was just getting ready to go to bed myself.” you led him to your bedroom, like you had many times before. He took off layers of clothing until he was left in a simple, white tank top and boxers. As soon as he did that, he climbed straight to your bed to relax as you put yourself in pajamas to get cozy, and then finally settled under the sheets, beside him. Rick then reached out to secure you in his arms. He always made you feel safe.The atmosphere in the room was perfect to fall asleep. However, Rick seemed to need one more thing tonight.

“Baby?” he muttered with his face in your hair.

“Mmm?” you responded.

“Can y-can you sing that song from earlier…?” he requested.

Your heart felt such a burst of joy, you were almost fully awake again. There was no way you would refuse him.

“Sure, Rick.” you answered sweetly, as you leaned in to kiss his forehead. Your fingers reached into his hair once again, lightly stroking his head as you started to sing.

_He goes along just as a water lily…_

_Gentle on the surface of his thoughts his body floats…_

_Unweighed down by passion or intensity…_

_Yet unaware of the depth upon which he coasts…  
_

_And he finds a home in me…_

_For what misfortune sows, he knows my touch will reap…  
_

It was a moment you’d never trade for anything else in the world. You thought back to all the pain you had endured in your life. All those years you wished to just disappear, the heartache you had felt for so long, was worth it in the end, if it meant you got to sing to someone you loved as you felt him drift off.

_All my armor falling down…_

_In a pile at my feet…_

_And my winter giving way to warm…_

_As I’m singing him to sleep…_


End file.
